Aircraft model
CESSNA 550
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Citation II is the aeroplane that made private jets ordinary. It is a straight-wing, twin-turbofan, eight-passenger business jet that is slow by jet standards — 385 knots — but lands slowly, gets into short runways that faster jets cannot use, and is simple enough to be flown single-pilot in the SP versions. Thousands were built between 1978 and 1994 and they form the bottom rung of the used jet market. The same 550 designation was used again from 1997 to 2006 for the Citation Bravo, which is a different proposition: PW530A engines in place of the JT15Ds, a Honeywell Primus EFIS cockpit and trailing-link main gear, so a Bravo is a far more modern aeroplane to own than a Citation II of the same registry name. The single-pilot II/SP is the 551.
A 1991 Citation II is now the cheapest way to own a jet, and that is exactly the trap. The purchase price is a small fraction of the cost of ownership: the JT15D engines are old-technology, thirsty and expensive, engine programmes for them are limited, and unscheduled maintenance on a thirty-five-year-old jet can cost more in a year than the aircraft is worth. Avionics must be brought up to current airspace requirements, which is a six-figure exercise on its own. Add hangarage, insurance, recurrent simulator training and, in most cases, two pilots. A CE-500 type rating is required. Anyone considering one should build a full annual budget with an experienced Citation operator before signing, because the sticker price is the least of it.
What it is
| Seats | 10 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 |
| Horsepower | — |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR25 |
| Production start | 1978 |
| Production end | 1994 |
| Endorsements required | multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 385 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,700 nm |
| Service ceiling | 43,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 3,200 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 85 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 3,650 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,820 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 10 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 6,100 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,102 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 14,100 lb |
| Empty weight | 8,000 lb |
| Usable fuel | 746 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 155 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $395,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $1,500,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 3,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $400,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $700,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 897 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 500 |
| Median year built | 1991.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 11 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 22 per 1,000 active · base 500 active |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 10 per 1,000 active · base 500 active |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 170 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 34 per 100 active · base 500 active |
| Airworthiness directives | 11 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
Peer scores
A score runs from 0 to 10 within the model's peer class: a position, not a grade, and the six are never added together.
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, turbo-fan, 2 engines, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.9 of 10 · class median 0 · 43 models in class |
| Severity | 4.1 of 10 · class median 0 |
| Access | 9 of 10 · class median 9,850 |
| Support | 9.1 of 10 · class median 197 |
| Liquidity | 6.2 of 10 · class median 29.17 |